It was a sleepless night for the Leader. Dreams of great portent filled his mind and disturbed his rest. He awoke and considered the meaning of the dream, but none could be found. So back to bed he went. But the vision was repeated. And the Leader called to his chamber all the wise councelors of his court and told them the dream. But none of the wise men or magicians were able to explain the vision. Until a simple butler remembered someone who had once helped him understand his own dreams. The butler approached the Leader to tell him of this man and the Leader listened.

So the Leader called the man and explained his vision. Like most dreams it was odd and quite surreal.

“He dreamed of a river. Out of the river came seven cows, fine looking and fat: they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. And the ugly and guant cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows.”

This was the vision the Leader weaved for the man. Without hesitation Joseph explained the dream. “The seven good cows represent seven good years, seven years of blessing and plenty. The seven sickly cows are seven years of famine, seven years when the land will not produce food and great famine will come throughout the whole world. God has given this vision to the Leader to prepare the nation so they will be blessed and be able to bless others.”

There was no good reason for the Leader to have any regard for the words of this man. Joseph was not nobility. He wasn’t a member of the Leader’s court or his staff. He wasn’t even from the same country. But remarkably, Pharaoh listened because Joseph was filled with the Spirit of God and Joseph was right.

Pharaoh’s next step was brilliant. As the Leader he recognized that he had a vision for his people. He also understood that he needed someone with the Spirit of God to interpret and implement that vision. Joseph was made the second most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. He was given the task of leading the nation through these times of blessing and times of famine. Genesis 41 tells the amazing story and the results of what happens when a visionary dream weaver empowers a skillful and spirit-filled dream caster.

Genesis 41:48 – 49; 57 say, “So [Joseph] gathered up all the food of the seven [good] years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable…so all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.”

God gave Pharaoh a vision that would result in blessings for the entire world. God gave Joseph the skill and wisdom to interpret and implement that vision.

Within the Christian Arts Ministry we will shortly undergo a similar transition. Six months ago we announced that my role as Christian Arts Minister was about to change. We explained that God was expanding my ministry here at FBCO to include more than CAM. I now have responsibilities with all of the ministry teams of FBCO. I have a clear vision for the Christian Arts Ministry and for the other ministry teams of our church. In order to accomplish this vision the Christian Arts Ministry Team needs a Joseph, someone skilled as a musician and leader, someone with a heart for worship and most importantly someone filled with the Spirit of God. I believe God is leading us to this man and will bring him here soon. Like Joseph, he will interpret and implement the vision we have for the Christian Arst Ministry. And like Joseph, I believe God will use him to lead CAM and the people of our church in abundant worship, until we “…stop counting because the blessings are immeasurable.”

Continue to pray for the man God will send and his family. The dream God has for you, for the Christian Arts Ministry and for First Baptist Owasso is amazing! Ask God to make that vision come alive in you. Ask Him to make you useful for the sake of the gospel. Ask Him to use you to lead others in worship and to bring His kingdom in this place. As we wrap up this season of ministry together we look ahead to the next season God has prepared for us. It includes a great vision. It involves great leaders. It imparts blessings immeasurable.